A pilot who suspected his partner was a member of the Bulgarian mafia jumped to his death from a motorway bridge, an inquest heard.

Robert James Pawley, originally from Radyr, killed himself on November 16, 2012, after falling onto the M4 near Coryton.

He was taken to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant but died of severe head injuries.

The 30 year old was described as an “highly-regarded” pilot who had text friends just hours before his death to arrange a night out.

He was living in Leipzig, Germany, with his partner Silvia Dimitrova, but had returned to South Wales to visit relatives.

At his inquest, held at Aberdare Coroner’s Court, Mr Pawley was described as being in an “agitated” state before his death.

In a statement to the court, his mother said he seemed “strange” and “preoccupied” when they had spoken in her bedroom.

He was then captured on CCTV on November 16 at around 1pm climbing the railings of a metal bridge between Radyr and Morganstown before jumping 60ft onto the motorway’s hard shoulder.

DC Rebecca Bryant, of Fairwater Police Station, said officers attended the scene after two drivers, Neil Williams and Alex Stephens, stopped to report the incident.

She said: “The CCTV footage was recovered from Traffic Camera Wales, which captured Mr Pawley walking across the bridge and jumping over the side of the railings.

“It was important in establishing whether there were other people on the bridge at the time, which we could then rule out.”

A postmortem report, conducted by Dr Esther Youd, found no traces of alcohol or drugs in his system. His death was recorded as 1A head injury.

And after extensive searches on his German laptop and mobile phones – along with an investigation into his financial records – there was no indication of Mr Pawley acting out-of-character before his untimely demise.

But girlfriend Miss Dimitrova, who issued a statement to the court, said Mr Pawley was having vivid dreams and had complained about his drink being spiked at a party weeks before his death.

Miss Dimitrova was also accused by Mr Pawley of being a part of the Bulgarian mafia.

Deputy Assistant Coroner Andrew Barkley recorded a verdict of suicide.

He said: “This is an extremely upsetting case.

“It’s clear from the CCTV that Robert walked onto the footbridge and would have had to climb the railings himself.

“Witness Neil Williams said there was no apparent reaction to stop the fall, which is significant.

“The behaviour his mother described is inconsistent with messages to friends and texts over future career plans.

“Looking at all the evidence, I can only see this as a deliberate act as all other sensibly explanations have been ruled out.”

Mr Pawley was the eldest of three brothers. His father, Dr Martin Pawley, was in attendance at the inquest to hear the evidence.